Car hire and driving in Bucharest
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In Romania traffic drives on the right. Picking up at BBU means 8 km (5 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257.
Drives from Bucharest
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bucharest to Ploieşti | Romania | 58 km (36 mi) | about 53 min |
| Bucharest to Ruse | Bulgaria | 66 km (41 mi) | about 1 h |
| Bucharest to Buzău | Romania | 98 km (61 mi) | about 1 h 30 min |
| Bucharest to Piteşti | Romania | 109 km (67 mi) | about 1 h 39 min |
| Bucharest to Braşov | Romania | 141 km (88 mi) | about 2 h 9 min |
| Bucharest to Brăila | Romania | 174 km (108 mi) | about 2 h 40 min |
| Bucharest to Craiova | Romania | 184 km (114 mi) | about 2 h 48 min |
| Bucharest to Galaţi | Romania | 189 km (118 mi) | about 2 h 53 min |
| Bucharest to Varna | Bulgaria | 198 km (123 mi) | about 3 h 1 min |
| Bucharest to Constanţa | Romania | 203 km (126 mi) | about 3 h 6 min |
| Bucharest to Sibiu | Romania | 216 km (134 mi) | about 3 h 18 min |
| Bucharest to Stara Zagora | Bulgaria | 226 km (140 mi) | about 3 h 26 min |
| Bucharest to Istanbul | Turkey | 445 km (277 mi) | about 6 h 48 min |
| Bucharest to Moscow | Russia | 1,499 km (931 mi) | about 22 h 51 min |
| Bucharest to Ankara | Turkey | 749 km (465 mi) | about 11 h 25 min |
| Bucharest to Berlin | Germany | 1,295 km (805 mi) | about 19 h 45 min |
| Bucharest to Bursa | Turkey | 530 km (329 mi) | about 8 h 5 min |
| Bucharest to Kyiv | Ukraine | 747 km (464 mi) | about 11 h 24 min |
| Bucharest to İzmir | Turkey | 675 km (419 mi) | about 10 h 17 min |
| Bucharest to Rome | Italy | 1,137 km (706 mi) | about 17 h 20 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Bucharest?
The right, as everywhere in Romania.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.